Asleep
by wordflows
Summary: Oneshot. Just the inability to sleep, and watching growing into talking growing into watching once more.


Disclaimer: ^.^ Hi! This is Forever3330 (obviously) in her Tamora Pierce fanfiction debut! –Hollywood music plays-. Okay, no. O.o; Back to what should be done here. I don't own what I don't own. I do own what I do own. Make sense? Good. I hope you enjoy the fanfic! ~.^ ~~Forever3330~~ ^.~

Asleep~~A Tamora Peirce Fanfiction

By Forever3330

Asleep By Dorothy Aldis When he's asleep 

_He never knows_

_If it rains_

_Or if it snows;_

_If the stars_

_Are in the sky,_

_Or if a wind_

_Is hurrying by.___

_His little room_

_Is cool and dim:_

_He does not feel_

_Her kissing him.___

            She'd begun to wonder around the time she had been asked by Lark to go and fetch some linen from the Pearl Dormitories for fixing. That was the first time she'd ever actually thought about it. There was simply no need to worry about such things. And even if she thought about them, who would speak of them with her? 

If her Trader friend had ever had such thoughts as her own, she kept to herself, and would probably not get far in any discussion of the sort when she was so busy with her work. And Tris would grow red and flustered and demand to know why she was being so annoying that particular day, and did she by any chance want to die a slow painful death?

            Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, Sandry to those who knew her, sighed. She'd much rather just forget the whole thing and go to sleep. She had work to do tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after, and so on and so forth. And she had to wish her friends farewell. And staying up sneaking around worrying about useless matters was quite silly. And above all else she despised being silly.

            Then why, she asked, desparing against her own actions, was she even here? She was no dainty noble lady who worried about such fickle things. So, her mind-voice was firmer this time, stop worrying. You shouldn't think of such things. Ever.

            Worrying caused chairs to jump out at you and trip you. Evil things.

            "Sandry?" A tired voice came from the person lying on the mattress, set upon the floor because of paranoia long forgotten. The boy sat up. "That you?" Briar blinked several times, eyes still blurred with sleep. He focused his somewhat-there gaze on the girl through his door, left open to cool the place.

            "Oh. I'm sorry, Briar." Sandry grinned in her almost-apologetic way, stepping forward slightly from her vantage point, near the table in the main room. "I didn't mean to wake you."

            He grumbled something that sounded something like an acceptance, then rubbed his eyes with one arm, yawning. When that was done, he focused sharp gray-green eyes on his friend, amused despite himself. "Couldn't sleep?"

            For some reason, the comment made her feel offensive. Possibly too much time around Tris. "I could sleep!"

            "Then why aren't you sleeping?" Briar rolled his eyes, still tired. "Just come sit down. It's too early to argue. I don't think I know how to argue, right now."

            "Nonsense." The girl walked in at the invintation, deciding he did look tired, and plopped herself beside him, glancing over. "You always know how to argue."

            "That doesn't mean I wanna…" Briar sighed, rubbing his eyes again. It wasn't as if he didn't get woken up at all hours of the night for one thing or another. Sometimes greenmages were needed in a different part of the circle, though Daja and Tris were the most likely to be woken for various things. He just seemed to be singled out for awake people to talk to. A curse, really. And one he would sincerely pass over to the first person he had the chance to, willing or not.

            Twitching with something suspiciously like laughter, Sandry quirked an eyebrow. "What's this? The great mage Briar with a tounge like quicksilver and a temper to match too tired to argue? Has the world fallen in yet?"

            The former theif buried his head in his pillow, possibly saying things he didn't want her to hear. Sandry smirked, bemused. "Be nice, now."

            "_Your_ temper is worse then _mine_." The boy sat up, decidedly more awake then he had been. "Don't try to say otherwise. Who was it that was all willy-nilly just because some so-or-so was actin' like an idiot?"

            Had she a pillow, Sandry would have quite happily thwacked him with it, as hard as possible. As Briar held the only pillow, she settled with elbowing him.

            "Oh, whatever. You're annoying, you know that?"

            "And who's the one what woke me up?" Briar grinned. "What is it, anyways? You're not a night-owl, I know that."

            The noble quieted for a moment, frowning, before she gave an answer. "It's going to happen, isn't it?"

            Briar looked at her as if she were spouting insanity, confused. "Is _what _going to happen?"

            "Everyone. I mean, everyone's really going to go. Not forever, I know, but I mean…You're going with Rosethorn to Chammur, Daja's off to Kugisko, and Tris is going to Tharios. Everyone's going." The brunette explained herself quietly.

            "Oh." So _that_ was it. Sandry wasn't normally odd for no reason. Normally. "It's only a bit. I mean, I know it's longer then that, but we'll be back." Briar wasn't quite sure how you were to proceed with a worried female, even after four good years of experience. The only thing he had learned was that they would quite readily explode if dealt with in the wrong way. "And we'll write, lots. I might not be able to write so much as Tris, say, but I'll write. Lark knows where we'll be, doesn't she?" Hoping this was the correct answer, he looked over at his friend.

            Apparently it was the correct one, because Sandry smiled, and looked somewhat relieved. "Promise?"

            Briar nodded. "Promise. Tell ya what, I'll even try a long one like Tris if I get to go back to sleep."

            He looked so eager at this that Sandry had to laugh, after swatting at his head, which Briar promptly ducked, wincing. "You sleep too much, thief-boy."

            "That's because _you_," Briar said pointedly, with every ounce of dignity he had, "And all the rest keep waking me up for things like this."

            "Boys." The noble rolled her eyes, standing.

            "Girls!" Was her friend's response, as he lay back on the pallet, apparently not ready to waste even a second of sleep. "'Night Sandry." He added the last as she reached the door, already half-asleep.

            "'Night." Sandry walked back into the main room before looking back and watching, making sure not to pace this time, speaking to herself.

            Sleep took a few minutes to be sure of. Up and down goes the chest. But you can't tell, sometimes, if it's sleep or just awake with closed eyes. The only things she knew to listen for was something that couldn't really be listened for. It was more a magical ear, just a check to see what was in his mind, a small tap. If there was nothing concious the person in question was asleep.

            A silly thing to know, really. Not something she'd ever counted on knowing, at any rate. But Sandry knew plenty of things she'd never expected to. Quietly as she could, Sandry walked back in to her friend's room, and watched him for a few seconds before leaning over, quietly, quietly, and placing a short, ghostly kiss on his lips, and padding back to the door. "Sweet dreams."

            And she walked away, back to her room.

            After all, the kiss was only for her. Her and the air and his lips, even if he never knew it. And really, he never knew.

            He never had before.

Notes: O.o; This was supposed to be something else, but then it was this. So…if that made any sense whatsoever, yeah. I'm doing what it was supposed to be another time, preferably when I'm more awake. ^-^;;; Yeah. Anyways. Bye.


End file.
